Washington Wizard
by strawberrypotter123
Summary: Katie Marshall knows everything about constitutional law...and nothing about charms. When an interesting piece of mail arrives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Katie struggles to balance a world she loves and a world she has never known.
1. Katie is a Witch

**A/N: I decided to play with the idea of someone famous in the Muggle world having to go to Hogwarts. It's similar to the idea of the household name The Boy Who Lived having to go to Hogwarts, but putting more of an emphasis on making sure that Muggles don't find out her secret. You'll see some familiar faces, set about a year before Harry enters his first year. **

65,000 letters arrive at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue every week.

Few of them are ever addressed to me.

But I could tell that this one was. My mother absent-mindedly traced the wax seal with her finger. My older sister, back from Yale for the weekend, stared at the words that had been beautifully printed on the parchment.

They both looked up and noticed that I had walked into the kitchen. "Oh, Katie sweetheart, you're here, good," my mother said calmly, as she pulled out the chair next to her, "Your father should be here any minute."

We weren't alone in the room. There was somebody else sitting in the chair opposite mine, wearing a fancy hat and holding a thin stick of sorts, and tapping it anxiously on the desk. She was wearing normal clothes, but she looked uncomfortable and out of place. She did not acknowledge my entrance into the room. The door opened.

A small entourage of my father's senior staffers walked into the room. They are all holding clipboards, twiddling away on Blackberries and chattering about the new water bill. They all stopped dead when they see my mother's frozen face.

"Mrs. Marshall, we were paged about some situation in the residence, is everything okay? President Marshall is on a private phone call with the English prime minister, but he'll be here soon," said Ellie Meyers, White House Press Secretary.

Communications Director Edward Martin cleared his throat and stepped forward from the amoeba of advisors. "Mrs. Marshall, um, sorry, would you mind?" he asked, gesturing towards the strange woman in the hat.

"Oh, yes, sorry, Henry, everybody, this is Professor Minerva, erm—" my mother exchanged an uncomfortable glance with her.

"McGonagall," the woman said, straightening her hat, "Minerva McGonagall."

A head popped in the door. "The president," announced a personal aide.

My father walked in, unperturbed by the gathering of staff or the strange woman, who was beginning to whistle a song. "What is this all about?" he barked and sat down. The rest of the staff sat down at his beckoning. My mother picked up the letter and shoved it into his hand. He perused it and chuckled.

He looked up and laughed even more at our serious faces. "This is some sort of joke, right? It's hilarious though. Who wrote this?" he asked, turning over the envelope for a return address. "I owe them a congratulatory phone call."

"William, it's not a joke," my mother said, exasperated. "This—this, is Professor McGonagall, from Hogwarts." She pointed to Professor McGonagall, who gave a polite smile and a curt wave before returning to reading the newspaper on the breakfast table. She poked it with her wand, as if she were expecting something.

"Oh okay," my father snapped, sounding quite annoyed. "Some woman dresses up in a witch hat, so this is all real. Congratulations Katie, have fun at wizard school. Send us a postcard. My god, do people have nothing better to do?"

Professor McGonagall whipped her head up to the conversation. "I'll have you know that Hogwarts is the finest school for wizardry and I assure you that it is all very real," she snapped angrily.

"Prove it," said Ed Martin, and the rest of the staffers huddle closer to watch.

Ellie made sure to close the door. Professor McGonagall stood up and looked as if she were about to strike someone. She strode towards the door, muttered something under her breath, and a light shone around the door.

"Just making sure," said Professor McGonagall cheerfully and she took off her hat to reveal a tightly wound bun that looked as if it had never been undone. She rolled up her sleeves, still humming the electric tune she had been whistling moments earlier.

And then it happened. Gone was the strange looking, bun-wearing, song-whistling woman I had seen moments before. She had been replaced…by a cat.

"Um, mom, I'm sorry, but I'm still really confused. Can someone explain this to me? I'm not really sure where the whole magic part comes in," I whispered to my mother while the senior staffers were talking. It would clearly take a while to shut them up after Professor McGonagall's stunning "transfiguration" as she had referred to it.

She had then done a plethora of spells, jinxes, hexes, curses, charms, everything. She had made the plants in the room blossom into beautiful roses and shot fountains of water from the kitchen sink. There was not a soul in the room who didn't believe her anymore.

"Just read the letter. It says everything in the letter," my mother said. She clapped her hand to her forehead and whispered a prayer to herself, a sign that there was a problem at hand.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL _of_ WITCHCRAFT _and_ WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore

_(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock, _

_Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)_

Dear Ms. Marshall,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.

Term begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall

Deputy Headmistress

"Katherine, do you prefer Katie?" said Professor McGonagall, walking towards me. "Have you ever made things happen? Things that weren't supposed to happen or something you couldn't control?"

I thought about it for a minute. It was sort of true. I thought about the mysterious unraveling of Maya Jacobsen's sweater after she had called me a teachers' pet. The time the Republican's representative's teacup had mysteriously and repeatedly drained after he had bashed my dad in a Congressional hearing. Had it been me doing all those things?

"I guess. Maybe?" I said, unsurely. I knew I wasn't giving her the answer she had hoped for. But I wasn't entirely sure what she thought would qualify as a "thing".

"Alright," said my dad, pouring himself a drink and sitting down at the table. "She's a wizard, sure. What if we don't want to send her to this school? I mean, seven years at a wizard school in England? Fox will kill me for that."

"While I'm sure it is very easy to make this about your standings in the media, I think we should be more concerned about your daughter's welfare. Last time I checked, your approval ratings were just fine," snapped Professor McGonagall.

"Yeah, thanks to us," muttered Edward, and most everyone in the room glared at him reproachfully.

"I'm sorry Professor McGonagall, but I'm just a little confused. Could you explain this from the very beginning? I think there are some missing pieces, that could be helpful in figuring out just what to do," said Ellie, stepping forward and giving a welcoming smile.

"Oh, of course, yes, let's see. Where do we begin?" said Professor McGonagall. "I work at a school for wizards: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There is a magical quill at Hogwarts. It detects the births of all magical children within the United Kingdom. You do all know what a quill is, right?"

Deputy Chief of Staff Brenda Ming snorted. "Yes, somewhere in my seven years at Harvard, I managed to learn what a quill is. But, why are you here if this is only English wizards?"

Professor McGonagall gave her a stare so cold, it looked like it could have frozen her right there.

My mother spoke for the first time in a while. "Katie was born over there. She was a few weeks premature. Skadden sent me to the London office for a little bit, just before I took maternity leave and she came early."

"Anyway, as I was saying," said Professor McGonagall. "The quill takes down the names and every year, I look at the registry and send letters out to each student who has turned eleven that there is a spot for them at Hogwarts. Katherine Marshall, your name was on the list. There are three categories of wizards. Purebloods are wizards with two parents who are also both wizards. Half-bloods are wizards with a wizard parent and a non-wizard parents. And finally, there are Muggle-borns, where the two parents have not a drop of magical blood. That would be you."

"Sorry, did you say Muggle?" asked Brenda Ming, looking up from her Blackberry, smirking, and looking back down.

McGonagall did not bother to respond. "It is of the utmost importance that Muggles know nothing of the wizarding world," she said sharply. "Once this is leaked, it is almost inevitable that people will solely turn to wizards and magic to solve their problems, disturbing the natural world."

"I'm not doing it," said my father firmly. "If you don't want any Muggles to know, I don't think sending America's favorite 11-year-old to Hogwarts is going to really help. There are always cameras on her. There is always media coverage and tabloids, gossip, everything. We can't risk it. And you lot can't risk it either," he said.

"Well, it appears we have a bit of a problem then," said Professor McGonagall seriously. "The problem with magic is that if the being in possession of it does not know how to control it, things can go horribly, horribly wrong."

"What do you mean, 'wrong'?" said my mother, with extreme concern in her voice.

"Well, you're at a state dinner and sparks start flying. Something explodes. Someone is hurt. Placing a child in wizarding school is an effective means of channeling their magic and power and making sure that they can exercise full control over it," said Professor McGonagall calmly. "We knew when we saw you on the list Miss Marshall, that it would be a difficult situation for you. And we completely understand if it is just impossible. But, I must warn you, worse things can happen than a few people being suspicious."

"We'll do it," said my father, almost instantaneously.

"William, can we please talk about this. It's a big change. Sending her to a wizarding school? What if this is just some big sham? What if she's kidnapped or taken somewhere?" my mother began a tirade of worst case scenarios, until finally, a personal aide calmed her down with a glass of water.

"Julie, you know it's for the best. We'll have Secret Service detail, maybe one or two guys on her and she'll be fine," said my father. He was used to dealing with genocide and health care, and so I'm sure that my imminent departure to wizard school seemed nothing.

"Erm, I don't exactly know how we'll manage the Secret Service at Hogwarts. After all, the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy enforces that wizards go into hiding and Hogwarts is the safest place in the world. We have taken all the necessary precautions to make sure that Muggles cannot go anywhere near Hogwarts," said Professor McGonagall cautiously, waiting for a reaction from my parents.

"Is there any sort of Wizarding security, or guards or anything that we can work with?" my father asked. I was somewhat annoyed at how little they had managed to involve me in the whole process and at how content they seemed deciding my future.

"I'm sorry sir, but before we discuss that, how are we going to handle the press? People are going to ask questions. It's certain that people would follow her, even if we made up some boarding school lie. Is there any way we could really hide this?" said Ellie, who had been silent for a while.

"Oh, I'll take care of that Ms. Meyers. Don't worry. Anyway, I can have Professor Dumbledore arrange for some protection to be placed at Hogwarts. I'm sure he'll be happy to oblige."

"Sorry Professor McGonagall, how do you suppose we _take care_ of all the press and the media and every person who steps into this White House? There's a staff, fifty congressmen, over four hundred representatives who know Katie. People would notice if she just disappeared," Ellie interrupted.

"No Muggles, or non-magical people, can see Hogwarts. It has been protected by some of the strongest Muggle-repelling charms in existence. We just say she's away at school, and if anyone tries to follow her, they will be most unsuccessful," Professor McGonagall said calmly.

"Well, alright. Is there some sort of confidentiality agreement we're supposed to sign, about the whole magic thing?" Ellie asked, puzzled.

"When I say three, you lot will all forget everything I have just told you. You will forget everything about magic and you will go back to your lives. President and Mrs. Marshall, I'll be taking Katie for the rest of the summer," the professor said sharply, drawing out her wand.

_One_

"Wait!" cried Ed and Ellie.

_Two_

"Katie!" my parents and sister both yelled.

_Three_

"Obliviate!"


	2. Katie Goes Shopping

**A/N: Hope you like Chapter 2! I am a very strong believer in continuity, and so I have made sure to check all my information to verify it. Every bit of history or background information has been compiled from the books and the backstories and sketches available through Pottermore. Blah blah blah, I'm not J.K. Rowling.**

"I've always loved the name Katie," said Professor McGonagall, as she poured steaming hot soup into my bowl. We were in a village called Hogsmeade, which was, according to Professor McGonagall, "the only all-wizarding village in Britain".

Professor McGonagall sipped the rest of her tea, and sent the cup whizzing across the room and into the sink, where it proceeded to wash itself. I stared stupidly at it. Professor McGonagall chuckled. She was an interesting woman, as I had grown to learn in the last week and a half.

In addition to every minute detail she had taught me about the wizarding world, I had learned that she had also attended Hogwarts at the age of eleven. After graduating from Hogwarts with "Outstanding" on all of her Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests, she was offered a position at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the British Ministry of Magic, the governing body of the magical community of Great Britain.

Minerva McGonagall had returned to Hogwarts to teach Transfiguration. During this time, she had grown closer with a friend of hers, Elphinstone Urquart, who would later die from a Venomous Tentacula bite, three years after they were married. She went back to live at Hogwarts Castle, but kept the Hogsmeade cottage during the summer and holidays.

"What?" I asked, zoning back into the conversation.

"Katie," she said sternly, and then easing up. "It's a very pretty name. It comes from the Greek name Hecate. The goddess of magic. Dougal and I always said that if we had a girl—"

"Who's Dougal?" I asked bluntly.

"Nobody, never mind. We do need to talk about something important though," she said, wiping her eyes quickly. "I sent an owl to Professor Dumbledore, informing him that you would be at Hogwarts and asking him to suggest the proper security arrangements. He said that he would work on security, but that he also recommended that you adopt an accent and change your name"

"My name?" I couldn't imagine myself not being Katie Marshall. I was Katie Marshall. Katherine Jane Marshall was the only person I had ever been, the only name I had ever known.

"You're lucky. I love the name Katie so much, I think we'll just have you change your last name," she chuckled at my reaction.

"What did you have in mind?" I asked her, slowly warming up to the idea.

"I have a list right here," she said, pointing over to the table across the room, as a piece of parchment zoomed towards her and landed neatly on her open palm.

"Katie Elliot."

_No_

"Katie French."

_ No_

"Katie Phillips."

_ Eh_.

"Katie Bell."

The village of Hogsmeade was nothing compared to Diagon Alley. Sparks shot out of charming tiny shops on the cobbled streets. Piercing owl screeches filled the air.

"Don't you love it?" asked Professor McGonagall as we made our way through the crowd.

_Students may also bring, if they desire, an __owl__ OR a __cat__ OR a __toad__._

Our first stop was to Eeylops Owl Emporium. The building at 521 Diagon Alley was a relatively small shop and was very dark inside. On the outside of the shop, hung owls of all different colors and species, watching every wizard who passed by.

"Well, I'm partial to cats," Professor McGonagall chuckled. "But in the scheme of things, an owl will probably be more useful. I've always liked the Eagle Owls." Ten minutes and fifteen galleons later, we emerged from the store holding a lovely eagle owl.

"Well, Katie, it's got to have a name!" Professor McGonagall said playfully.

"She does. I'm calling her Liberty."

_Three Sets of Plain Work Robes (Black)_

_One Plain Pointed Hat (Black) for day wear_

_One Pair of Protective Gloves (dragon hide or similar)_

_One Winter Cloak (Black, silver fastenings)_

_Please note that all students' clothes should carry name-tags at all times_

We found ourselves next in Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occassions. The shop was also quaint, and on the North Side of Diagon Alley. I was not alone. About fifteen other Hogwarts students and their parents bustled around the store, exchanging sizes ("Marcus dear, I think you've had a bit too many pumpkin pasties, let's try a size eleven."), sticking pins ("Euarrghhh, Mum, watch it!"), bargaining cunningly ("Mum, I promise I won't snog that Muggle boy anymore, just can I please get the purple ones?") and parents pleading their children ("Cedric, darling, these will just bring out your eyes so much better!").

Professor McGonagall handed a wide-eyed sales assistant the list and the assistant poked around me and thrashed a measuring tape towards me and it hurriedly took my measurements (The most important of which, I was assured, was the distance between my forehead and my right ear).

While I stood there waiting, a pretty Asian girl approached me and introduced herself.

"Cho Chang," said the girl. "I'll be a first year. What house are you hoping for? My mother was a Ravenclaw, so I'm hoping for that. But I suppose any of the others wouldn't be bad. What do you think?"

Professor McGonagall had filled me in on the storied history of the four founders of Hogwarts and so I was extremely prepared to answer any question regarding the four houses.

"Well, I suppose any of them would be fine. Gryffindor or Ravenclaw would be really nice though. I don't know though, the others sound fine also," I said sheepishly, wishing I had come up with something a little smarter.

"Yeah, I suppose so. But that's the positive way of looking at it. Sorry, did you say your name?" she asked, as if she had just come out of deep thought.

"Katie. Katie Bell. It's nice to meet you Cho," I said and Madam Malkin, a squat witch dressed in mauve, returned to fuss over Cho before we could continue the conversation.

After Cho left, Madam Malkin hurried over to me and began to tuck in small inches of fabric and sticking pins into the sleek black robes that had been thrown on me by the assistant.

"Gulping gargoyles! Minerva is this one with you? She's a stick. You'll make a fine Quidditch player, that's for sure. A chaser or a seeker, don't you think so Minerva?" Madam Malkin said, as she packed up her measuring tape and accepted the money from Professor McGonagall.

"Hmm, I suppose she's got the build for a chaser. Anyway, we'd better be on our way. Flourish and Blotts will close soon," and we left the shop in a hurry.

"Florence Malkin was in my year at Hogwarts, a Hufflepuff. I could never stand her," Professor McGonagall said, hurrying up the cobblestone streets. The crowd had begun to clear out now. "Always a gossip. I remember one year, she made up a rumor that Pomona and I—Molly!"

A rather plump but warm looking red-headed woman had turned the corner, and the clump of redheaded minions she had in tow had almost knocked me over.

"Oh hello Minerva!" she smiled. "Well, of course you know Charlie, Percy, Fred and George. This is Ron, he'll be starting the year after this year, and then Ginny the year after he does."

"Yes yes, it's nice to meet you both. Charlie, congratulations on becoming Quidditch captain. It was well-deserved. Anyways, I will see you four at the feast, we're headed to Flourish and Blotts," said Professor McGonagall, obviously eager to extract herself from the conversation. They exchanged their goodbyes and we continued on.

_All students should have a copy of each of the following:_

_The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1) by Miranda Goshawk_

_A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot_

_Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling_

_A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch_

_One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi by Phyllida Spore_

_Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger_

_Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander_

_The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection by Quentin Trimble_

"Well hello Minerva. Haven't seen you around here in a while. What can I get for you and the girl?" asked the shopkeeper, descending a long ladder that seemed to go on forever.

"She'll just have all the Hogwarts first year books. Goshawk, Bagshot, Waffling, all the classics," said Professor McGonagall.

"Right you are Minerva. Anyway, how are things over at the school? Has it really been thirty years since I've been? Oh, that's impossible. Is everything alright?" asked the shopkeeper, flicking books off the shelf with a wave of his wand.

Professor McGonagall laughed and took the parcel from him. She immediately dumped it into my hands and I almost toppled over from the weight. We left the store and she promised that our next stop would be the last.

_OTHER EQUIPMENT_

_1 wand_

"Minerva, it's been a while. Who is this you've got with you?" asked a voice coming from between the bookshelves.

Ollivanders Wand Shop was cold and uninviting. Unlike the packed Madam Malkin's the shop was small and empty, except for a single chair in the corner. Shelves crammed with narrow boxes took up most of the shop's square footage. Even if I hadn't seen the _Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C._ sign, I would have guessed that the place was old. It seemed as if the whole shop had a thin layer of dust about it.

"Garrick, this is Katie Bell. She'll be a first year at Hogwarts."

Professor McGonagall shoved me closer towards Ollivander and I looked at his face in the light of the single bulb that flickered above.

He was an old man, with large silvery eyes. They made him look as if he were almost crazed or mad. He saw my face and immediately pulled out a box.

"Ten inches, chestnut, unicorn hair core, surprisingly supple," he said, handing over a glossy wooden wand over to me. I waved it at once and immediately, a cool breeze fell over me. I look over to Mr. Ollivander and a small smile appears upon his face.

"Chestnut and unicorn hair. Interesting. Do you know what the Wizengamot is?" he asked me, pacing between the shelves, appearing to be in deep thought.

I nodded. My week at Professor McGonagall's had been filled with books and essays to make sure I was completely educated about the wizarding world. The Wizengamot was wizarding Britain's high court of law and part of the Ministry of Magic. Professor McGonagall had told me that her dream as a little girl was to be the Chief Warlock (or in her case, Witch) of the court.

"Three consecutive Wizengamot Chief Warlocks have possessed wands of chestnut and unicorn. From this combination, it appears that you have a predilection for the world of justice," he said, polishing my wand and handing it to me.

Professor McGonagall smiled at me. "I suppose it's in your blood."


	3. Katie Gets Sorted

**A/N: I really dislike Chapter Two… might go back and edit later. I am also making one more change: ****I had written before that Katie's parents would not remember her being a wizard, BUT, for a key plot point in my outline, I have gone back and edited the first chapter and taken that bit out. **

"The train is going to be at the castle any minute. I'd put my robes on if I were you," said Cho, waking me from my deep and peaceful slumber. I had spent an entire four-hour train ride in the same compartment as Cho, but I still was still struggling to tell whether I liked her or not.

Professor McGonagall, despite my protests, had insisted that the train ride to Hogwarts was an important social experience and that it would be a shame if I were to miss it. Although the castle was walking distance away from the Hogsmeade cottage we had been staying in, she had taken me back to King's Cross Station, and sent me through the barrier at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters

I recognized Cho Chang from Madam Malkin's and had quickly taken a seat in her compartment. She was chatty and quite sociable, judging from the many visitors she had received over the duration of the train ride.

"Come off it, there's still a good ways away," said a familiar-looking redheaded boy stepping into our compartment and sitting down next to another girl in our compartment, whose name I hadn't bothered to learn. She had come rather late to the train, and had had no choice but to sit next to us on the train ride to Hogwarts. She was visibly grouchy the entire way there, and hadn't said a word, despite Cho's constant badgering us.

"Oh hello," the girl smiled and hesitated before she said his name, "George?"

"Right you are Angelina, that is correct. Five points for Gryffindor," he said pretending to use his wand as a microphone. It took me a minute to recognize him, but I vaguely remembered him from my trip to Diagon Alley.

"Oi, Alicia, you going out for Quidditch this year?" Angelina asked to the girl who had just appeared in the compartment. "I hear it's going to be tough, but Charlie as captain, we'll win every match!"

The girl, Alicia, nodded happily, sat down next to me, quickly glanced at me and mouthed '_Who is this?'_ to George and Angelina. I began to introduce myself, but George stopped me before I could say anything.

"Let me have a go at it, your name is…wait…Mildred. You're a pureblood, your father works at the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Games and Sports and your mother is a Healer at St. Mungo's. You've got a cat named…a cat named Hades. Am I right, or am I right?" he grins at me.

"Ignore him, he's an absolute dung beetle," said Angelina elbowing him forcefully, while Alicia laughs.

I offered an awkward smile and said, "Actually, my name is Katie, Katie Bell. I'm a Muggleborn, sorry."

"Nothing to apologize for," said Alicia, wiping her eyes and to keep herself from laughing more. "But I must know: _do_ you have a cat named Hades?"

"An owl named Liberty," I responded sheepishly.

"Hello Fred, Alicia, Angelina," said a tall boy, stepping into our compartment. To call him a reincarnation of Adonis would be an understatement.

"Hello Cedric," Angelina said, dreamily.

"I'm George," said George, rather affronted.

"Sorry about that," Cedric (Adonis) said, leaning against the door to the compartment. "I can never really tell. Are you lot going for Quidditch this year? George, you're a seeker, if I recall correctly."

"A beater, actually," George huffed, "My brother Charlie, he's the seeker. You're a seeker though, aren't you?"

He nodded and turned his head, finally acknowledging Cho and me.

"First years?" he asks. Cho nodded vigorously and I gave some sort of shy, inelegant half smile. I would beat myself up about it (repeatedly) later.

"I'm Cho. Cho Chang and this is Katie Bell," Cho piped up.

"Cedric Diggory. Well, it's nice to meet you Cho, and um, Katie," he said, charmingly, giving me a dashing smile. He was a boy of only twelve, but his face and figure were such that one could tell he would grow even handsomer over the years. "Well, I'd better be off. Need to get back to my compartment," and he exited with such grandeur that Alicia and Angelina looked as if they would keel over.

"I honestly don't get what's so great about him," said George loudly after Cedric had gone. "He seems rather dense to me."

"He's gorgeous," whispered Cho, who seemed to be blissfully unaware of anybody around her. Upon hearing this, Alicia and Angelina erupted into peals of giggling that lasted the rest of the train ride. About half an hour afterwards, people began to change into their robes, and so I did as well.

We pulled into the station, and all of a sudden, everything felt real. I was here. I was at Hogwarts. As I exited the train, I was flooded with thoughts of my parents. I knew they would be worried sick about me. Any reasonable parent would. My head was filled with images of their faces the last few minutes I had seen them. _"Katie!"_ they had cried. My mother had lunged towards me, and then we were gone. Would they remember me when I came back? Would they still love me? It pained me just thinking about it. I had managed to avoid these thoughts the weeks I had been in Hogsmeade, but now it was too much. Every emotion I had kept pent up was starting to fall on me, and I was doing a rather futile job of trying to control them.

"Careful there, you're about to snap it in half," said a voice behind me. I looked at my fist and saw that, indeed, about three seconds more of my tight grip and my wand would be snapped in half.

I loosened up and turned to see Cedric Diggory, wearing an amused smile. He took my trunk and owl from the storage car and handed them to me, gave me a curt nod, and turned towards his friends.

"Firs' years follow me!" a voice called. I matched the voice to the largest (person?) I had ever seen in my life. He was at least twice as tall as a normal human and roughly three times wide. He was wearing a large moleskin overcoat with several pockets. The coat looked like it wouldn't mind a good washing. He carried a lantern and kept calling for the first years. Cho and I gravitated towards him, keeping a safe distance.

When a large group of first years had huddled around the giant (man?), he introduced himself as Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. He shined his lantern on a fleet of boats and we all quickly scrambled into boats, as if we were afraid they'd take off without us. Cho and I took a boat with another girl, who politely introduced herself as Dena and remained silent for the rest of the ride over there.

I immediately forgot the thoughts of my tribulations that had overcome me at the station as we floated across the Black Lake and approach the Hogwarts castle. The castle was lit up and it shone brightly against the midnight sky. The stars twinkled flirtatiously as if to welcome us to Hogwarts.There were stars in Washington, plenty of stars, but these…something about them was…magical.

Once we had arrived at the castle, we were led through countless flights of stairs (both up and down) until we stopped at an ordinary stair landing, in front of us, large double doors that seemed to be masking a vibrant clamor. I assumed that the rest of the school was behind the door.

Professor McGonagall appeared out of nowhere and gave us a detailed overview of what would happen as soon as the doors to the "Great Hall", as she called it, opened. She quickly left us to endure what would go down in history as the most nerve-wracking and awkward three minutes of my life.

None of the other first years seemed to be taking it too well. A rather burly boy had slumped in a corner and is rocking himself back and forth. Cho had taken to whispering, "Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw, Ravenclaw," over and over. Even the girl who rode over with us, Dena, was doing some sort of complicated deep breathing exercise.

As if they couldn't bear watching the hyperventilation anymore, the doors to the Great Hall swung open, and hundreds of eyes followed us as we made our way down the aisle and lined ourselves up. The eyes were still watching.

Seven years was a long time, I thought. Seven years…here? Was this the place I would meet my dear friends, my enemies, my husband? Would I have my first kiss here? My first boyfriend? My first best friend? My thoughts masked what sounded like singing as I pondered my future. Eighteen. I would be eighteen in seven years. So much could happen in seven years. Seven years ago, I was four. I would grow so much. And this was just the beginning.

_BELL, KATIE_

My irrelevant musings were interrupted by the shrill call of Professor McGonagall. I was surprised to hear my name called first. Hadn't Professor McGonagall told us it would be alphabetical? And then I remembered. Bell starts with a B. I had been so used to being comfortably in the middle with the last name Marshall.

I pushed forward from the crowd of first years and walked towards the Sorting Hat. It was battered, old, and looked like it was keeping some store selling patches in business. But it was the most intimidating thing I had seen in years.

I walked closer and closer to the hat on the stool. The eyes were still watching. Professor McGonagall placed it on my head.

_The president's daughter, you don't say? From the States. You've travelled far to be here. You're loyal alright, very loyal, good and hardworking I'd say. A sharp mind. Sharper than most. You're cunning, there's a fierceness in you, almost political. GRYFFINDOR!_

I let out a sigh of relief and went to join the table that had erupted in cheers for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see George, George's twin Fred, Angelina and Alicia cheering with me. I sat down and turned my head sharply to watch the rest of the sorting.

_ CHANG, CHO_

Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat on her head and almost immediately it shouted, "_RAVENCLAW!_" Cho looked very content as she skipped off to join the Ravenclaw table. I felt bad thinking it, but I was almost glad

After that, the Sorting moved very slowly. After what seemed to be two hours, we were only on _MCLAGGEN, CORMAC_. He was a tall, brawny, athletic young man. The Sorting Hat seemed to be suffocating his head, because he almost fainted when it shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" and was taken off. McLaggen giddily walked over to the Gryffindor table, with a hint of pride in his smile. He sat down next to me and haughtily rumpled his hair. _MONTAGUE, GRAHAM_ was sorted into Slytherin after McLaggen. I noticed Cedric at the Hufflepuff table as _SEDLEY, FITZPATRICK _joined them. And then, I stopped caring about the Sorting, and my stomach started caring about the feast.

Eons (or what seemed like it) later, most of the first years had been sorted and only one remained. _WHITBY, DENA_ was called up to be sorted. She looked very nervous and her lower lip was quavering, as if she were about to cry. Professor McGonagall, who seemed to notice, placed the hat on Dena's head gently and gave her a weak smile. _"GRYFFINDOR!"_ the Sorting Hat shouted to thunderous applause, which came mostly from the few who hadn't eaten all day.

I have oft been told that the White House culinary staff is second to none. After the night of the Welcome Back Feast, I respectfully disagreed. I had never seen so much food in my life. I had attended state dinners, balls, fancy parties, but they were nothing compared to the mountains of victuals presented in front of me. I couldn't help feeling guilty about being so happy. There I was, chattering away and enjoying food while my parents ran the country and worried sick about me. I put the thought out of my mind and ate. It had been a long day. And so began my life at Hogwarts.

**A/N: **I really hate coming up with OCs because I feel like none of them can ever compare to JKR's creations. However, I quite like Dena Whitby, and we'll see her throughout Katie's seven years. I envision her playing Devil's Advocate to Katie. **On an unrelated note, if you're looking for some good writing, **please check out** _**Faerie0975**_**'s** **new story**, _state of grace_. It's a lovely piece of work! **Please read and review, I value all your comments!**

** s/9412935/1/state-of-grace**


	4. Katie Returns Home

**A/N: **It has been brought to my attention by reviewer **saroura92**, that it appeared as if Professor McGonagall wiped the memory of everyone in the US. I have gone back and edited it to make it a little clearer.

**I.**

"I'll send you an owl when I find myself in a situation where it is practical or necessary to turn a mouse into a snuffbox," said Dena the last Transfiguration class before the Christmas holiday. As cynical as Dena Whitby was, she and I were the only ones in the class who had managed to perform the spell correctly and Professor McGonagall had held up our snuffboxes adoringly and made sure that everyone in the class knew how disappointed she was in the rest of the class.

I seemed to be the only one, but I had taken quite a liking to Transfiguration. I certainly preferred it to History of Magic, which was taught by the extremely dull Professor Binns, or Potions, which I found myself excelling at, but hating, due to Professor Snape, the moody Potions master, who seemed to hate Gryffindors even more than he appeared to hate shampoo.

I was in a good mood that week. My parents had sent me an owl a few days before; we were finally in correspondence again. At breakfast, Dena had pointed out an owl to me that looked suspiciously as if it were heading in my direction. A large snowy owl skidded right into Dena's bowl of porridge, and had only exacerbated the situation by ruffling its feathers and coating the rest of the table in porridge. After some profuse apologizing, a botched _Tergeo _spell (performed by me) that seemed to only make the porridge turn green, and a correct _Tergeo_ spell (performed by Dena), I finally sat down to open the letter that the snowy owl had dropped off.

_Katie,_

_I certainly hope this letter gets to you; I am still not very familiar with owl post. How is the owl supposed to know who the recipient is? Anyway, your father and I are so excited to have you back home for Christmas. We have been counting down the days, and your sister will be coming home for a while. It's been a while since the four of us were all together. Thank you for writing us; I am very happy that you have been enjoying your stay at school. Your friend Dena seems to be a very lovely young lady and I am glad that you are enjoying your classes. Your father and I are both very curious to hear about what you have learned. For security reasons, we will not be able to pick you up from King's Cross Station. If there were some more secure, magical way to send you straight to the White House without any questions being asked, it would be preferable. Perhaps you could ask Professor McGonagall. We are looking forward to your return!_

_Much love, _

_ Mother_

As per my mother's request, I had gone to Professor McGonagall's office and requested some alternate method of transportation to get back to the White House. She paused for a minute and then suggested Floo powder, which I had recalled reading about on a Chocolate Frog card, one hungry afternoon. We had arranged to send me to a White House fireplace at three o'clock today after the Hogwarts Express takes off.

It was about half past noon when I returned to the Gryffindor common room, and I began to pack (or rather, stuff everything voraciously into my trunk). Dena laughed at me and began to carefully fold all of my robes and shirts, probably mentally calculating the dimensions of my trunk and the most efficient way to make sure that there was enough space.

Dena, who wasn't particularly close with her parents, had decided to stay at the castle for the Christmas holidays, and I, after already having made plans to return to Washington, had felt very bad about leaving her alone. I had even invited her to come home with me. She had politely declined, and afterwards, I realized that bringing her to the White House would "blow my cover" and it probably wouldn't work anyway.

I had seriously debated telling her about the whole president thing, but my father had always said, "Trust no one but yourself," and what if she accidentally let something slip? After all, I had only known her for three months or so. How did I know she wasn't really an awful person? I had no way of telling that she was trustworthy? They all seemed like excuses, but we had been told when we moved into the White House that privacy was a privilege. There had already been a Watergate. Was Wizardgate next?

"Do you roll your socks or fold your socks?" Dena asked me, approaching the lump of socks that I had balled and thrown into a corner. I paused for a minute and Dena laughed and said, "I guess I should have seen that one coming."

"Are you going to your parents' for the Easter holiday?" I asked, trying to spark some conversation, while simultaneously trying to figure out how to fold my robes.

"I actually have plans to visit my grandparents. They're in Bermuda in the winter; otherwise I'd probably be staying with them for Christmas," Dena sighed.

"Do you get along with your grandparents?" I asked her. We'd been friends for three months, but we rarely talked about our families to each other.

"Very well. I love them dearly. They're wizards too, so I think they maybe understand me a bit more," she said. Dena looked at my confused face and said, "My parents are Squibs, and well, we always thought I wouldn't be a witch, and then I started doing weird things and I got my Hogwarts letter and my parents didn't want to enrol me at first. It was a very awkward situation, but my grandparents and my rents had this big row and now they don't really speak to each other. It's more complicated than that, but…"

Before she could finish Alicia Spinnet burst into the room and let a grand sigh of relief at the sight of me. "Oh, Katie, thank Merlin, you're still here. Charlie Weasley's been looking for you. He says it's extremely important. He's in the Great Hall, but he has to get the train back. Go! Run!" She clutched a stitch in her stomach and began wheezing very frantically.

Immediately, I set off. I pushed through the portrait hole faster than I had ever done anything in my life. The Fat Lady squeaked loudly as I slammed the door behind me and raced down the stairs and towards the Great Hall. The Weasley twins attempted to say hello to me on the way there, but I gave them some sort of friendly hand gesture and continued to run faster towards the Great Hall.

Once I entered the Great Hall, I stopped for a minute to catch my breath. For some reason, that day, the Great Hall looked more beautiful than ever. Twelve towering Christmas trees adorned the large room and swathes of beautiful holly and mistletoe were hung up around the edges of every wall. It hadn't earlier in the day, but warm, dry snow fell from the Enchanted Ceiling. After running, I hadn't much breath to give, but it was breathtaking.

Angelina and Charlie were sitting down at lunch in the middle of a debate over the better musical group (The Weird Sisters or the Hobgoblins). They both smiled when they saw me approaching.

"Hello Katie," said Angelina, beaming positively, "I haven't seen you in a while." She and I had spoken intermittently after we had first talked on the train, but once the Quidditch season began, I had hardly seen her.

Charlie Weasley stepped forward and introduced himself, "Katie, I'm Charlie. I think we saw each other in Diagon Alley that one day. You were with Professor McGonagall, right?" I nodded and Charlie continued, "Well, I was in Madam Hooch's office the other day and through the window, I was watching your flying lesson. You're not bad, you know? You were probably the best of the lot. Quick and agile."

"Do you know how to play Quidditch?" Angelina asked me.

Professor McGonagall, who had taken great pleasure in recounting her Quidditch days, had drawn diagrams of every notable Quidditch play, taught me the name of every player for the Montrose Magpies (her favorite team), and had even lent me a broom to experiment with one lazy afternoon (which explained by superior performance at my first flying lesson). Yes, I did know how to play Quidditch.

"Yeah, pretty well, I suppose," I said, shifting my feet.

"First years aren't allowed to join the team. But I've talked to Professor McGonagall, and she's agreed to let you condition with us, if you want to, of course, and that way you'll be in great shape for making the team next year," Charlie said.

It _was_ an enticing offer. Professor McGonagall and Madam Malkin from Diagon Alley had said that I had a chaser's build. I agreed to condition with the Gryffindors and Angelina generously offered to bring me her old Nimbus 1700 when she came back from the Christmas break. They excused themselves to catch the train, and I headed back up to the Gryffindor common room to finish packing. When I came back into the dormitory, Dena asked me what had happened.

I smiled. "Long story,"

**II.**

"Katie, darling, you're back!" My mother dropped the large stack of papers she was holding (much to her aide's chagrin) and scooped me up in her arms. "We have missed you so much!"

We exchanged obligatory pleasantries and then we went up to the residence and had some tea. I certainly preferred traveling by train to Floo powder, and even still, confused aides stared at me as I coughed up the occasional bit of greenish powder.

"Kim," my mother called, beckoning her assistant, "Can you turn on the press briefing. I think Ellie's still in there."

**III.**

"_I only have a few minutes, so this briefing needs to be quick. Questions?"_

"_Ellie! Ellie!_"

"_Yeah, Steve."_

"_Thanks Ellie. It was recently announced that the President and First Lady have decided to send their younger daughter Katherine to a boarding school in the United Kingdom. Does the President have a lack of faith in American education?"_

"_President and Mrs. Marshall are in no way commenting on American education by sending Katie over to the UK. All three of them agreed that the program over there best suited Katie. President Marshall is still very confident in American education and he continues to push for education reform. Traditionally, the First Family has chosen to place their children in private or boarding schools because of the privacy it provides for their children."_

"_Do you have the name of this school?"_

"_The President and First Lady have chosen not to disclose it at the moment."_

"_Ellie, is Katie Marshall pregnant?"_

"_Steve, Katie Marshall is an eleven year old girl with parents who care about her privacy and well-being, because they don't want her to be bombarded by ridiculous questions like that one. And no, she is not. Like I said, she is at school."_

_ "How long will she be there?"_

_ "I believe seven years, but she will return to Washington for Christmases, Easters, and every summer."_

"_Is she receiving a sex change?"_

"_This briefing is over."_

**IV.**

When I was a little girl, the White House at Christmas was the most magical place on Earth. A large, majestic Christmas tree stood in the middle of the West Wing. Various choirs from all over the country came to sing Christmas carols during the day, and my grandparents came in for the Christmas dinner.

But now that I had come home from Hogwarts, I began to feel a sense of disillusionment I had never felt before. I hated the White House Christmas. The Christmas tree that had once made me so happy didn't smell like gingerbread and peppermint like the Hogwarts Christmas tree did. The Georgetown Choir was flat. The Local Vocals were sharp. The plastic ornaments of Washington DC were nothing compared to the glittering baubles that hung in the great hall.

"Katie sweetheart, are you alright?" my mother asked me over Christmas dinner. She had been concerned by my bland facial expression all night.

"Fine," I answered succinctly. I knew that one-word answers infuriated her, and she pursed her lips and kept eating.

"So, Katie, how's school?" my sister asked, taking a sip of water and readjusting the preppy dress she had chosen for the occasion.

"School's good,"

"Good," she responded sheepishly, going back to her water.

"Sarah, how's Yale?" my mother asked my sister desperately.

"Yale's nice. It's good to be back," she nodded and asked the aide for some more water. My mother appeared to be thrilled at this answer (because it was not monosyllabic) and smiled.

It was the worst Christmas of my life.


End file.
